The field of the disclosure relates generally to altering power consuming functions on an electrical device, and more specifically to a system and method for altering power consuming functions on an electrical device during periods of peak energy demand.
With increasing cost of fuel prices and high energy usage at certain parts of the day, utilities have to buy more energy to supply customers during peak demand. Consequently, utilities are charging higher rates during peak demand. If peak demand can be lowered, then a potential huge cost savings can be achieved and the peak load that the utility has to accommodate is lessened.
More recently, various types of dynamic pricing, such as real-time energy pricing, have been introduced. Dynamic pricing provides market transparency that exposes customers to time variations in energy costs, encouraging customers to shift their electrical energy usage into periods of lower demand, and therefore, lower prices. Dynamic pricing is being increasingly used to mitigate power shortages and, in this context, it is referred to as a “demand response”. Utilities and their regulators have implemented demand response as programs, which provide incentives to reduce electrical demand during power shortages. In some cases, these incentives are contingent upon a customer reducing usage below some prescribed limit during each hour or each metering interval. If the customer fails to observe these limits, the incentives may be lost, harsh penalties may be imposed, or both.
To decrease an amount of energy used during peak demand, one conventional solution is to provide a system where a controller “turns off” a supply of power to an electrical appliance during times of peak demand or “turns off” certain functions of an electrical appliance during times of peak demand. However, while turning off power to electrical appliances and/or functions of electrical appliances help the utility and save a consumer money, there may be times when the consumer would like to override this mode and return to normal operation despite higher utility costs.